FAQ 2 - What aquifer would be threatened by Powertech's proposed Centennial Project?

Powertech's proposed Centennial Project would take place within the the Laramie-Fox Hills aquifer. This aquifer covers most of the Denver Basin area, approximately 7,000 square miles along the Front Range from Wyoming to Colorado Springs and east to Limon.

Commercial, municipal, agricultural and residential wells use the Laramie Fox Hills aquifer extensively. In February of 2001 there were 33,700 recorded wells. With the population and commercial growth in northern Colorado since 2001, it can be safe to assume the number of wells using this aquifer has increased significantly.

There is concern the Dakota-Cheyenne aquifer may also be affected. The Dakota-Cheyenne aquifer is Colorado's largest water yielding aquifer east of the Rockies and spreads beneath the most populated areas of Boulder, Larimer, Weld, Morgan and Logan counties. The Dakota-Cheyenne aquifer is much older (deeper) than the Laramie-Fox Hills aquifer and is in a geological layer known to have uranium deposits. Powertech’s proposed mining would take place above of the Dakota-Cheyenne aquifer.